Ultraviolet light source



Sept. 21, 1937. w. o. PRoUTY ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, SOURCE Filed Maron 25, 1931 Il'llln .Illy

Patented sept. a1, 1937 -l v2,093,735,

Bussum l vtius22l94i. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,093,735A t UI..'IBAVI0LI."I'.'l'l LIGHT SOURCE Willis 0. Prouty, Hermosa Beach, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Metlox Corporation, Ltd., Manhattan Beach, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 23, 1931, Serial No. 524,849

' 8 Claims. (Cl. Z50-34) This invention relates to a source of ultraviolet tages, and has other objects which may be made light, such as can be used for therapeutic purmore easily apparent from a consideration o f one poses. s embodiment o f my invention. For this purpose I This application is a continuation in part of have shown a form in the drawing accompanying my prior application, Serial No. 448,128, iiled and forming part of the present specification. I

April 28, 1930 and entitled Therapeutic light. shall now proceed to describe this form 'in detail,

In the said prior application, I point out the which illustrates the general principles of my indisadvantages encountered in ultraviolet light Ventioni but it iS t0 be underStOOd that this de- SOurces utilizing mercury arcs or carbon arcs. tailed description is not to be taken in la limiting My invention possesses many other advan.

These disadvantages, in brief, can be summarsense. Since the Scope 0f my invention is best de- '10 ized as follows: such devices require excessive fined by the appended claims. energy consumption; they become so hot that Referring t0 the drawing: artificial cooling is required and due to such Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ultraviolet ray high temperatures,.it is dimcult. to keep the tube device embodying my invention: v

sealed when tubes are used. Furthermore, the Fig. 2 is a longitudinel-SectiOnal View thereof; 15

apparatus is bulky and costly. In mercury tubes, Fig. 31s a detail section taken along plane 3.3 due to the high temperatures oi' operation, there 0f Fig. 2 l, is a pronounced absorption eiect of the ultra- Fig. 4 iS e. detail Section taken `eieng piene 4-4 violet emanations, makingv the device inemclent. 0f Fig 2'; und

These disadvantages can be almost entirely Fig. 5 is a detail view taken in general in the 20 avoided when a high-voltage discharge tube is direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 2.

used, having a illling oi' one or moreof the noble The source oi'ultraviolet radiations isshown as monatomic gases. Such gases Aare new in coma tube Il which is doubled one or more times on mon use, and include `neon, argon, helium, and itself. 'Ihis tube is shown as provided at its exkrypton, Discharge tubes having such a, filling, tremities with the smalll internal electrodes I2 25 stay cool and are compact.l and I3, but other forms of electrodes] could be Ordinarily neon or argon can be used as the used if desired. This tube can be filled with any gaseous iilling. supplemented, although not nec-I 0f the noble monatomic gases or mixtures thereessariiy, by the addition of a few drops or mercury of to a pressure of a few millimeters of mercury.

e to increase the ultraviolet radiations. I have say from four to twelve millimeters. A few drops so found that the intensity ofthese emanations can 0i liquid mercury can .else be inelOSed inside the be still further materially increased by' proportube. This/tube is made from material that can s tioning the discharge tube in a manner'that will readily DaSS the ultraviolet relis, Sueh 8S quartit be more specifically described hereinafter. The tube Il can, furthermore. be kept compara- For examme, m one series of comparative tests tively small, its doubled length in most instances 35 performed on a device incorporating my in'vennot exceeding 10 0r 12 inches. although the length tion and a cnmmercial mercury arc device, 1i', was 01' the tube Il can be Varied to Suit cnditiOnS.

found that although the powerV consumed by my In .order tO'Obtain thel beet und moet intensedevice was only about one-eighth thatconsumed effects frOm. the tllbel l, its lnrir diameter Should 40 by the mercury vapor device, yet my device notl exceed' seven millimeters; the preferable 40 emitted ultraviolet radiations in general much in value is about three or four millimeters. It should excess of the mercury vapor device. 'I'he combe operatedbelow a current consumption of 50 lparison was made at dennite wave lengths of milliamperes, anda potential difference across it radiations:- at wave lengths considerably above above 1000 volts. Apparently the small diameter visibility, the intensities of the emanations from obviates material self-absorption of the rays, and 4.` :ny-device were very much greater than from the the low current consumption, while sufticient to other device. Since the therapeutic effect of cause' the gas to luminesce, yet serves to leave such short wave lengths is especially beneiicial, the tube ii cool enough to be readily handled by it is seen that-this feature is of considerable iman operator without artiilcial cooling.

0 partance. In order to house the tube Il and provide ter- 50 f' Accordingly itis oneI of the objects'of my inminals for connection to .the electrodes i2 and I3 vention to make it possible to secure this intense I may utilize a casing i4. This casing .may be radiation oi' ultraviolet light by the aid of a made from a casting such as aluminum. Its top 5 luminous discharge device. portion may be generally cylindrical and is preferably formed with an opening i! through which 5 of the tube I I can be accommodated in to be disposed near the tube I I.

. the tube 'II can be exposed. In the present instance, the width of the opening can be varied, as by a shutter I5 which conforms with the interior surface of the casing, and which can be manipulated as by a handle I1 extending through a slot I8 in the back o f the casing. -It desired the interior surface of this shutter can be polished to act also as a reector.

d AIn order to' permit the tube Il to be inserted into the casing I4 there is provided a top opening I9. This opening can be closed by cover member 20. In order to steady the tube I I this cover member may carry a cushion or pad, such as 2 I, made of sponge rubber .or the like.

In the present instance, the lower portion of frame I4 can be iiattened, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 4. In this lower portion there is a large opening 22 that can be covered up by cover plate 23. This cover plate can be fastened in place as by screws 24.

Terminal block 25 can bedaccommodated in the lower portion of the casing and can'be held in lplace as by the aid of one or more screws 26. This be made of any appropriate It carries a number of terminal block can insulation material.

.screws 21, engaging the conductors 28, 29 that lead to the electrodes I2 and I3. The extremities y shallow pockets, such as 30, 3i in the front face of the block 25.

The conductors 28 and 29 canextend downwardly below block 25.l They can pass through the neck 32-to the exterior, and'are shown 'in Fig. 2 as carrying heavy insulation, forming the twin conductor 33. A plug 34 can be used to maintain this conductor 33 in place in the neck 32.

In order further to support the tube I I against dislodgement I may utilize several turns of asbestos rope 35 encompassing both bends of the tube II near the lower portion thereof. Sponge rubber cushion 36 can be fastened to the cover 23 (Fig. 4) for holding these extremities in the pockets 3 0, 3|.

For the application of the ultraviolet rays to a comparatively'large surface, the opening I5 can be used. The size of the opening can be adjusted by manipulation of handle I1, the hand of the manipulator grasping the -lower portion 'of the casing I4.

For more confined treatment I can provide a tubular extension 39, at an angle tothe casing axis, through which the upper part of the tube I l canbe exposed. If desired, a supplemental applicator confining the area treated still. further, can be supported in extension 39. One example of such applicators is indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. It includes a quartzrod 31. This quartz rod is cemented in a metal collar 38, which is adapted In order to support the collar 38 detachably in this projection 39, this extension can be provided with a bayonet slot 40 for accommodating pin 4I extending radially of the collar 38. v

In the present instance this applicator 31 is shown merely as a bent rod which is made of quartz, andwhichhas the property of conducting the yultraviolet radiations from inside casing I4 to the extremity or tip 42 of the rod, without substantial dispersion transverse to the rod. The tip 42 of the applicator can therefore be directed against the locality to be treated.

I believe that .the effectiveness of this tube results mainly from the small current consumption and small cross-sectional area. The small area ensures against interference and reabsorption or linternal diameter no greater change of wave length, and the small current consumption, because it keepsthe tube cool, also contributes to the same end.

I claim:

1.'In a device for producing ultraviolet radifrom 2000 to 2540 Angstrom units, a tube capable of passing such radiations, said tube having an than seven millimeters, a illling for the tube of one or more noble monatomic gases, and means i'or impressing an energizing potential difference across the column of gas in the tube.

2. In a device for producing ultraviolet radiations having a high intensity in the wave band from 2000 to 2540 Angstrom units, a tube capable of passing such radiations, said tube having an internal diameter no greater than seven millimeters, a nlling for the tube of one or more noble monatomic gases, and means for impressing an energizing potential diiIerence across the column of gas in the tube, to produce a current flow therein not'l exceeding nity milliamperes.

3. In a device for producing ultravioletradlations having a high intensity in the wave band from 2000 to2540 Angstrom units;- a tube capableV ations having a high intensity in the wave band of passing such radiations, said 'tube having an internal diameter between three and four millimeters, a illling for the tube of one or more noble monatomic gases, and means tor impressing ,an energizing potential difference across the column of gas in the tube, to produce a current ilow therein not exceding fifty milliamperes.

5. The process of producing ultraviolet radiations having a high intensity lying in the wave band from 2000 to 2540 Angstrom units, by the aid oi .a luminous column of noble monatomic gases, which comprises energizing said gas col-- umn, and connlng the column to a diameter no greater than seven millimeters.

6. The process of producing ultraviolet radiations having a high intensity lying in the wave band from 2000 Ato 2540 Angstrom units, by the aid of a luminous column of noble monatomic gases, which comprises energizing said gas column, and reducing self-absorption in the column by restricting the diameter of the column.

7. The process of producing ultraviolet radiations having a high intensity lying in the wave band from 2000 to 2540 Angstrom units, by the aid of a luminous column of noble monatomic gases, which comprises energizing said gas column, connning the column to a diameter no greater than seven millimeters, and restricting the. current flow through the column to a value not exceeding iiity milliamperes.

8. The process of producing ultraviolet radiations having a high intensity lying in the wave band from 2000 to 2540 Angstrom units, by the aid of a luminous column of noble monatomic gases, which comprises energizing said gas column, and. confining the column to a diameter 

